Nashville gets safer with cops on streets

OUR VIEW

It was less than three months ago that we were being told that Tennessee has the nation's highest rate of violent crime, so we'll take the bright spots when they appear.

One of those is the plummeting rate of criminal homicides in Nashville. Not only did the number of murders in 2013 drop by about 30 percent from 2012, the 43 murders were the fewest of any year since 1963, the year that Nashville and Davidson County merged to form a metropolitan government.

We commend the Metro Nashville Police Department and Mayor Karl Dean for their roles in such progress. It had to be very difficult, because we know that violent crime is never utterly defeated in a city of this size, but must be fought every day.

Metro has done this in two important ways.

The most obvious is in making sure that law enforcement has what it needs to protect the public. Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding in 2009 allowed Metro to hire additional police officers and build new neighborhood precinct stations. When that money stopped at the end of 2012, the mayor and Metro Council made sure the 2013 budget picked up where the stimulus left off.

Having police on the streets, instead of at a desk, makes all the difference when it comes to keeping crimes from escalating into violence. Metro police also have become adept at forming partnerships with neighborhood and business groups that extend the eyes and ears of law enforcement.

Then there is the fact of Nashville's prosperity and how it affects the crime rate. While there always will be people who resort to crime instead of honest work, having business and community leadership that promote economic development, and the jobs that come with it, is a strong incentive for individuals, especially young adults, to choose employment.

Metro Nashville's success comes at a good time, as the city continues to attract newcomers at a fast rate. When new residents have confidence in local law enforcement, they are more likely to put down roots. And that's good for all Nashvillians.

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Nashville gets safer with cops on streets

It was less than three months ago that we were being told that Tennessee has the nation's highest rate of violent crime, so we'll take the bright spots when they appear.